Not a Hallucination
At 5 a.m., the sky was still dark, but a faint light was beginning to appear.
In front of the provincial training camp, it was bustling and noisy—early in the morning, a crowd had already gathered.
This year, eleven people were participating in the national competition. Many students’ parents had come along, wanting to be part of this shining moment in their child’s life.
“Everyone, please don’t crowd! Line up!”
The lead teacher was doing the final check and registration before sending each group to the bus bound for the train station.
“Feng Zhiyong and his mom—on board.”
“Cha Wenyao with both parents—take your time getting on.”
“Dou Haobo and his grandpa—okay.”
…
Qin Mudong didn’t want to fight for space and followed slowly at the back of the line until he reached the lead teacher.
“Qin Mudong.” With everyone else boarded, he lifted his eyelids and quietly stated his name.
The teacher looked up, startled: “You’re alone?”
Qin Mudong had his backpack slung over one shoulder and one hand in his pocket. “Yeah.”
“Neither of your parents are coming?”
Qin Mudong’s dark eyes lowered, a trace of impatience flashing across his face: “Is that a problem?”
His tone was indifferent, and his face cold. After a moment, he added, “I’m already an adult.”
The lead teacher paused, seemingly taken aback by his aloofness. “It’s not a problem…”
It’s just that for such an important exam, nearly every participant had a parent accompanying them—it was rare to see someone going alone.
“Can I get on now?” Qin Mudong didn’t respond to the teacher’s remark.
The teacher sighed and said nothing more. “Go ahead. Watch your step.”
The team had rented a large bus, and there were still plenty of seats. Qin Mudong found a spot toward the back, wore his cap backward, and closed his eyes.
The bus was full of noise—parents loudly discussing how to raise kids, students laughing and joking. Everyone’s faces were full of excitement.
Qiu Ruifeng and Ji Angran sat together. As Qin Mudong silently walked past them, the two exchanged a glance.
After a moment, Qiu Ruifeng asked in a low voice, “What’s up with the top student? He’s even going to nationals alone?”
Ji Angran hesitated, then sighed softly. “His parents are divorced. Maybe things aren’t great at home.”
“Divorced doesn’t mean he’s not still their kid, though.” Qiu Ruifeng frowned and pointed to another boy and his father. “His parents are divorced too. His dad even postponed a business trip just to accompany him to nationals.”
“No idea,” Ji Angran shook his head. “He’s always been on his own since middle school.”
“What about that auntie we saw the other day?” Qiu Ruifeng asked. “She’s his mom, right? Seemed to care about him a lot!”
“Maybe she’s got more important things to do.”
“What’s more important than this?” Qiu Ruifeng grumbled. “He’s her biological son. This is a once-in-a-lifetime exam—something others only dream of. Unless there’s some special reason, like a billion-dollar inheritance or something…”
Ji Angran sighed again and glanced a few more times in Qin Mudong’s direction.
Qin Mudong leaned against the window. The brim of his cap cast a faint shadow across his face. Eyes closed, he seemed entirely out of place in the lively, noisy crowd.
“Hey,” Ji Angran whispered again, “If there are any group activities these next few days, let’s make sure we include him. He seems… really lonely.”
“Alright.” Qiu Ruifeng nodded, then added helplessly, “Just not sure if he’ll be willing.”
…..
The high-speed rail between Xingjiang and Ningtong hadn’t opened yet, but thankfully there was still a bullet train—it wasn’t too slow.
After a long and bumpy ride, they finally arrived at their destination.
Next came the routine check-in and room assignments.
The test site only provided accommodation for students, with the standard being two people per room. There were eleven students in total, so Qin Mudong ended up being the odd one out.
The teacher leading the team hesitated as he handed him the room card. “Are you okay staying alone? If you’re scared at night…”
The hotel had been fully booked for the competition, so all the guests were students, and safety wasn’t a big concern. Still, they were high schoolers in a faraway unfamiliar place, so the teacher couldn’t help but worry.
“It’s fine,” Qin Mudong coolly cut him off, taking the room card and turning to go upstairs. The rest of the teacher’s sentence drifted off in the air, sounding vague and unreal. “I’m used to it.”
The teacher hesitated, wanting to say something, but in the end, he kept silent.
The next day, Qin Mudong stayed in his room the entire day.
Night quickly fell. In the dim room, only the desk lamp remained lit.
The young man sat straight-backed, one hand holding a calculator and the other writing rapidly across a sheet of scratch paper. His handwriting was elegant and bold, and there was no trace of a smile on his cool, refined face.
“Ding dong.”
The chime of a text message broke the silence. Qin Mudong set down his pen and reached for his phone on the side.
[Are you asleep? Night study hall isn’t over yet. I’m so tired. (emoji)]The sender’s name was saved as: My Star.
A faint smile softened Qin Mudong’s cold gaze. His whole demeanor warmed, like a spring bubbling up from a long-frozen mountain.
He walked over to the bed, phone in hand, and began texting with Lu Xingjia.
[Using your phone in class? Did you finish your homework?] [Not yet, but I want you to sleep early tonight, so I won’t chat with you later. Just wanted to say a few words now.]As if worried he’d disagree, another message popped up just a second later:
The corners of Qin Mudong’s lips lifted. He replied:
[Have you been eating well?] [Mhm! The chestnut chicken at lunch was so good! Tender, sweet, and melt-in-your-mouth. — Wait, why are you asking me? I’m supposed to be asking you! Are you settling in okay over there?]Qin Mudong could almost picture Lu Xingjia’s smiling face and bright eyes as he typed, beaming with warmth.
Sometimes, he seemed so childish, like a kid who never grew up and loved to act cute. Other times, he seemed incredibly mature, carrying burdens Qin Mudong didn’t even know about.
Qin Mudong looked out the window. The stars above were faint and scattered, but his star shone so brightly—lighting up the darkness in his heart.
Each message cost a small fee, but they didn’t notice how many they’d sent—dozens flew back and forth.
At exactly 10:00 p.m., Lu Xingjia sent a message right on the dot.
[Class is over now. I won’t bother you anymore. Sleep early.]Qin Mudong’s fingers hovered over the keyboard, about to type a reply, when a new message came in:
[Since you’ve kept me company for so long, your star says you can make one wish. What do you want?]Qin Mudong’s eyelashes dropped and rose again. He typed back:
[I want you.]Then followed with:
[I want to kiss you.]He waited a long time with no reply.
Qin Mudong smiled slightly. He hadn’t really expected a response. Just being able to chat like this before the exam was already more than enough for him. He could almost see Lu Xingjia’s blushing, stammering reaction—adorable and flustered.
His star was so shy, yet those clear eyes could hook anyone’s soul.
Later, the supervising teacher came around early to collect everyone’s phones, urging them to get a good night’s sleep for the theory exam the next day.
Qin Mudong sent a quick “Good night” and handed over his phone without hesitation.
The teacher placed all eleven phones in a drawer and locked it. Just as he turned the key, one phone screen lit up briefly with a message alert.
Sender: My Star
Message: Okay.
……
Over the years, the finals questions had always been tough, but this year’s difficulty had taken it up another level.
Three hours, seven questions, four pages of test paper—every ounce of preparation these students had made led to this moment.
Outside the venue, anxious parents waited. The moment the students emerged, they swarmed forward.
“Son! Over here! Over here!”
“Come quick, Mom brought you something yummy!”
“Honey! Tired? How did the exam go?”
…
Qiu Ruifeng and Ji Angran’s moms had also come. The two women got along instantly. After chatting for a while, they realized they were actually university classmates from the same graduating class.
With that connection and their kids studying together, they quickly bonded and decided to hang out during the rest of the competition.
The moms had brought all kinds of snacks—local specialties, drinks, and freshly cut fruit. The boys’ hands were soon overflowing with goodies.
As Qiu Ruifeng fumbled to carry everything, he looked up and saw Qin Mudong walking past alone, expression as indifferent as ever.
Ji Angran clearly noticed too and instinctively glanced at Qiu Ruifeng.
The two exchanged glances, hesitating as they wanted to call out to him, but it was already too late—Qin Mudong had already gotten on the bus.
Leaving the exam hall, outside was a noisy crowd. Qin Mudong pressed his fingers against his brow in irritation and got on the bus.
His phone was still locked in the teacher’s room, so he pulled his baseball cap down over his head and went to the last row of the bus to nap.
At some point, the bus started moving and swayed gently as it returned to the hotel.
Lunch was a group meal. As dishes were being served, someone suddenly called out, “Is anyone going out this afternoon? Let’s go together!”
After finishing the written exam, the students felt a lot more relaxed. The parents were also happy to see them unwind, so the suggestion was quickly met with enthusiastic agreement.
Ningtong, the final competition location, was a famous Jiangnan water town. Right next to the hotel was a large lake that stretched beyond sight.
Willows hung low by the lakeside, and the scenery was lovely. Without much discussion, everyone agreed to go out for a lakeside stroll together that afternoon.
Amid the lively chatter, only Qin Mudong seemed completely out of place.
After a few quick bites, he quietly set down his bowl and chopsticks and stood up to leave.
“Wait!” Qiu Ruifeng called out quickly.
Qin Mudong paused slightly and turned his head. “What is it?”
Qiu Ruifeng invited warmly, “Top student, are you free this afternoon? Come out with us to the lake!”
“Not interested,” Qin Mudong replied coolly, his tone detached.
He couldn’t find any joy in strolling around a lake.
Just wandering around a body of water with nothing to see, under the blazing sun, packed with people—it was nothing but torment.
“The weather’s so nice, come on out.”
From behind, a clear youthful voice rang out. Qin Mudong froze for a moment before quickly regaining his composure.
He thought he was hallucinating—he’d just heard Lu Xingjia’s voice.
“Jia Jia?!” Qiu Ruifeng’s booming voice was full of shock, his eyes wide. “You—you—you… why are you here?!”
Only then did Qin Mudong dare turn around. At the restaurant entrance, a boy was standing there, backlit, his amber-colored eyes still shining brightly.
It was Lu Xingjia.
Not a hallucination.